Phoenix began their show with the punch of “Lisztomania,” followed by “Long Distance Caller” from 2006’s It’s Never Been Like That, and played every song save for one from Wolfgang, but also pulled out a couple of oldies (“Funky Squaredance” and “If I Ever Feel Better”) from their 2000 debut album United. While it’s easy to be cynical about a band that has such widespread popularity and accessibility, I’ve always been of the mindset that it’s kind of ridiculous to resent a band for being so appealing and it’s even sillier to wish that people didn’t like the same music you like.Ĭlick the jump to read my take on the show, and to see more pictures and video! Watching the crowd – and despite the fact that a good portion of the crowd were highly irritating hammered frat boys and trashed sorority gals – it was clear that many of Phoenix’s hardcore fans have lived and breathed Wolfgang for the past year. Their songs (especially their chart-toppers) make people feel a sense of majesty they’re big, scenic, inspired, and it just feels good to listen to them. To Phoenix’s credit, it’s not hard to understand why.
It was a fully packed house at Stubb’s, and once the band took the stage, the wildly enthusiastic crowd went nuts and didn’t let up for the duration of the show. Though I like Phoenix quite a lot, Austin LOVES Phoenix. I added most of the album to my iPod mix and have been listening to it for around three months now, which is why I was motivated to pick up tickets to their show at Stubb’s. But finally, the radio’s trickery worked its magic on me…incessant radio play of Phoenix’s big hits actually endeared me to the songs somewhere along the way. I bought and listened to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Last summer, while the rest of the country was freaking out over “Lisztomania,” Phoenix was playing 3 songs on Saturday Night Live (á la U2, Coldplay, and Paul McCartney), and “1901” was being picked up for Cadillac commercials, I remained fairly lukewarm on the French band’s popularity. Some explanation: Phoenix is one of those bands that grew on me very, very slowly.
And wow, it is a serious awakening when you realize that people are like, screaming excited to see a band that you were only pretty excited to see. Most of the shows I went to during SXSW and since then were pretty low-key. Going to see Phoenix at Stubb’s on Thursday night was the first time in a while that I have been to a seriously hyped show.
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